


In a Lifeguard's Gaze

by Beka2305 (CurvedYellowFruit)



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Swimming Pools, sunsmart pool behaviour, the Foxes have fun at the pool, this was shameless self-indulgence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 10:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17323496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurvedYellowFruit/pseuds/Beka2305
Summary: It's a hot summer day. The Foxes go to an outdoor pool to hang out and have fun. Andrew is a lifeguard. Neil decides to show off. This is pure self-indulgent fluff.





	In a Lifeguard's Gaze

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fuzzballsheltiepants](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzballsheltiepants/gifts), [FoxsoulCourt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxsoulCourt/gifts).



> This was written for the incomparable @fuzzballsheltiepants in response to her fic 'Riptide'. This is also for @foxsoulcourt who was brave enough to post her first fic the other day. Thank you both for finally inspiring me to dip my toe back into writing! 
> 
> The original idea for this fic came in no small way from the crazy heatwave that Melbourne experienced this week.
> 
> Warning: I wrote this in like an hour in one sitting with no beta so any mistakes are most definitely my own.

Neil twitched and flung his arm over his eyes as the splash from Nicky’s dive-bomb drenched his feet. He had been laying back on a pool lounge, taking a few moments to enjoy the relaxing pool atmosphere and the surrealism of Neil Josten, invisible runaway, ever being able to experience such an environment. He smiled wryly down at Nicky now, who was grinning broadly and waving happily in Neil's direction. Beside him, Allison carefully adjusted her broad-brimmed hat and lifted a corner of her sarong to examine her tan, making a point of ignoring Nicky’s antics. 

“Better re-apply the sunscreen, babe”, came Renee’s gentle voice from Allison’s other side. 

Allison gave a long-suffering sigh but knew better than to disobey her girlfriend’s wisdom, particularly on a 42 degree day when the UV index was expected to reach 14. Wordlessly, she reached under her towel to where she had stashed the 50+, handing it to Renee before turning her back in a silent request.

Renee herself was covered in loose fabrics from head to toe to protect herself from the sun’s ferocious glare, and had insisted on parking her lounge bed under the shade of a giant umbrella. As a result, she seemed completely immune to the baking heat and was her usual serene self, which Neil noticed with no small degree of annoyance as he sat up and looked around him with sweat running down into the small of his back.

Aaron and Kevin were already in the pool, monopolising the fast lane. From the looks of things, they were locked in an intense race, though whether they were competing for speed, endurance or perfect technique was hard to say. Neil was willing to wager that a bottle of vodka had been promised to the eventual winner, or perhaps the loser would just be shafted with the responsibility of shouting the rest of the group a round of drinks that evening. 

Neil watched them for a moment, trying to guess who might be in the lead. Kevin undoubtedly had the better technique but Aaron seemed to be faster despite it, though he seemed to be flagging. Neil choked down a laugh the next moment as Aaron proved willing to play dirty, slowing his strokes just enough for Kevin to pull ahead, only for him to catch Kevin’s swimming shorts on a loose piece of plastic hanging off the lane ropes. Aaron was darting off like a fish again the next moment, but Kevin found his next stroke propelled him half out of his clothes and he pulled up short, spluttering indignantly. Aaron merely continued on, feigning ignorance before touching the end of the pool triumphantly.

Dan was splashing around in the deep end where Nicky had jumped in, and she and the other boy were happily taking turns to climb up onto Matt’s shoulders, whooping and screaming like lunatics while he made Tarzan noises and dunked them into the water. Neil couldn’t help smiling as he watched his crazy family, happy and content to wile away the summer in each other’s company.

Neil’s eyes shifted, drawn inexorably to his magnetic north. There, towering over them all in his tall lifeguard’s chair, sat Andrew. His gaze was intense, his focus unrelenting. Not directed at Neil for once, either. No, Andrew was working, and Neil was not currently one of the pool patrons at risk of drowning, so he was outside the scope of Andrew’s attention.

Neil found he didn’t much care for being outside the scope of Andrew’s attention.

Checking his watch, he noted that Andrew’s shift was almost over. Almost, but not quite. Perfect. Slowly, he stood up from his lounge bed, yawned and stretched exaggeratedly. From beside him he heard Renee’s quiet snort, while Allison jibed, “You’re not subtle, Josten”. Neil pointedly ignored the girls, opting instead to begin divesting himself of his outer layers. He didn’t look at Andrew again, but as he began to walk leisurely over to the diving board, he knew that Andrew’s laser focus would have widened to include him in it.

As he walked, Neil windmilled his arms back and forth a few times and performed a few more stretches. He was still wearing a long-sleeved swimming shirt to spare the shocked looks of the other swimmers, but he had let Andrew choose it last week at the shop. For some reason, Andrew had deviated from his usual black and Neil’s preferred orange, and had instead chosen a deep, electric blue, which even Neil could tell went well against his eyes. It was also skin-tight. Neil could feel it bulging around his biceps as he climbed the ladder up to the diving board platform. Neil knew that Andrew would be seeing that, too.

Having reached the top, Neil indulged himself with one blatant glance at Andrew. He was higher than Andrew’s chair now, and Neil suppressed a triumphant grin as he saw that Andrew’s head was angled up towards him. Knowing full well that he would likely be murdered for it later, Neil threw caution to the winds, blew Andrew a giant kiss, and executed a perfect dive off the platform and into the deep end.

Coming up for air, Neil noticed with satisfaction that he had got Nicky back with his splash. He swam around leisurely for a couple of minutes, allowed Matt to pick him up (“Once!”) and dunk him, high-fived Dan and Nicky, then climbed out of the pool. 

Andrew was waiting for him.

Neil grinned at him innocently. “Shift over?”

“Shut up. You’re buying me ice cream now.” Andrew’s deadpan voice didn’t change as he turned in the direction of the ice cream cart - before shoving Neil right back in the water. 

Neil surfaced, spluttering indignantly. The Foxes were all watching; had all seen; and seemed to think it was the best entertainment they had had all day. Neil looked back to where Andrew had stopped, his usual bored expression replaced with the intense concentration he usually reserved for his work. Neil felt a warm tingling in his belly that had nothing to do with the sun or the weather. He felt _seen_.

Neil pulled himself out of the water for a second time, making sure now to stay just out of Andrew’s reach.

“Double choc or choc mint?”

“Both, idiot.”

Neil smiled again, a real one that reached his eyes and didn’t remind him of his father in the least. He was losing count of the number of his real smiles, and Neil found that he quite liked that thought. He was safe, he had family, he was loved - and he was _seen_.

“Both it is.”


End file.
